Sport
The End of an Era? Pierre Ekwah Drops Bombshell About His Sunderland Future
Championship challengers Sunderland know all too well the heartbreak that comes after falling in love with a loanee.
Wilson Isidor has made a huge impression at Sunderland since arriving on an initial temporary basis from Russian giants Zenit St Petersburg over the summer, the Frenchman’s character making him a real favourite of fans and directors alike.
The Black Cats will be praying that, unlike former talisman and now Manchester United regular Amad Diallo, Isidor initial loan is a precursor to an eventual permanent switch. And the good news is that, unlike with Amad, Sunderland do have an option-to-buy clause in Isidor’s contract.
There is a clause just like that in Pierre Ekwah’s own deal, meanwhile, the Sunderland-owned midfielder spending the 2024/25 season at St Etienne with a permanent £6 million switch on the table should he continue an impressive start to life with Les Verts.
St Etienne, promoted back to Ligue 1 a few months ago, sit just above the relegation zone after a topsy-turvy start. Ekwah has been one of St Etienne’s brightest sparks, however, playing the full 90 minutes in nine of their last ten top-flight matches.
Sunderland loanee Pierre Ekwah open to staying at St Etienne
Speaking to the media this week, Ekwah was quizzed on where he sees his future. St Etienne or Sunderland? Which side of the Channel will he be earning a living come 2025?
Well, Ekwah is not ready yet to draw a line in permanent marker under his Black Cats career. But the former West Ham United youngster does admit that, if St Etienne are keen to keep him, he is unlikely to be too disappointed about that.
“It’s weird. I feel like I belong to Saint-Etienne. In my head, I’m not on loan,” Ekwah tells Le Progres. “But, when I’m asked the question, I have to answer that I’m on loan. I’m between two clubs.
“Will I stay? I can’t give an answer. In my mind, the question of staying is on the table. We’ll see. There, we are talking about [the feeling of] belonging. I belong to two clubs.
“The players and the staff never made me feel like I was on loan. When I arrived, I said to myself; ‘I’m here for a long time.”
Ekwah explained why he chose to join Ligue 1 newcomers
By his own admission, Ekwah left Sunderland for St Etienne because of the ‘legendary’ status of one of French football’s most historic institutions.
Only megabucks Paris Saint-Germain have more Ligue 1 titles than St Etienne’s ten, even if the most recent came back in 1981 for a side who have fallen on hard times during the last few decades.
“Why Saint-Etienne? Because it’s Saint-Etienne! A legendary club,” Ekwah said during a press conference a few months ago.
“I had good discussions with the coach and the sporting director before signing. It reinforced my idea of coming to Les Verts.”
Back at Sunderland, meanwhile, it is perhaps doubtful if Ekwah would even have been a starter this term under former FC Lorient coach Regis Le Bris.
In Jobe Bellingham, Dan Neil and Chris Rigg, the Black Cats have one of the Championship’s most exciting midfield trios, even if recent injuries and suspensions may have the Wearsiders wishing they had a little more depth in a position Ekwah once made his own.
